Swansea Channel dredging

Swansea Channel connects Lake Macquarie to the Pacific Ocean and Is the only entrance to the popular boating area in the Hunter region. Lake Macquarie is twice the size of Sydney Harbour and the largest saltwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere.

The history of Swansea Channel indicates that this is not a natural continually open navigational channel into Lake Macquarie. Since 1970 Swansea Channel has been dredged 20 times.

Interventions such as the construction of the Lake Macquarie Entrance Breakwaters in the late 1800s were built to allow larger vessels in for industry purposes.

Due to the dynamic nature of Swansea Channel there will be continual need for interventions such as dredging to maintain the channel.

While there is good access to the lake for the majority of users with boats on trailers that can launch from one of the many boat ramps around the shoreline, maintaining access to the ocean through the narrow Swansea Channel is of major importance to recreational boating in the region, particularly cruising yacht clubs.

The proposed dredging intends to deliver a channel from Pelican to Marks Point that is 3.5 metres below Australian Height Datum (AHD) and 60 metres wide allowing vessels drawing a maximum of 2.5 metres draft to transit the channel. This work will be completed in two stages.

• The first stage, a minor dredging campaign is planned to deepen the channel in the short-term while we continue to work on the major dredging campaign and approvals
• The second stage, a major dredging campaign will achieve the nominated 60 metre wide channel allowing for vessels with a 2.5 metre draft.

Like all major construction projects. Dredging projects must go through legislated planning approvals including completing the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) before proceeding.

Transport for NSW Maritime is working as quickly as possible to complete our investigations and work with all relevant stakeholders to prepare the necessary environmental approvals prior to seeking tenders for the dredging of Swansea Channel.

The community will have an opportunity to have their say on the project when the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) is expected to go on display in the coming months. This environmental assessment will inform members of the community of the details of the dredging project.

TfNSW is working towards the establishment of a long-term, sustainable dredging program to support boater access to key waterways. To improve efficiency, reduce costs and enable more consistent and frequent dredging to be undertaken in the future.

We are also developing a strategy to secure funding for a long-term statewide dredging program to improve efficiency, reduce costs and enable more consistent and frequent dredging to be undertaken in the future.

We are continuing with planning and project development including carrying out the environmental investigations which will inform the next 10 years of dredging in the Swansea Channel.

Our next steps are:

• Carry out maintenance dredging early 2023
• Displaying the REF
• Completing a “Have Your Say” on the project, to seek community feedback on the sand placement locations
• Advertise and award the major dredgigng work
• Starting the major dredging campaign in 2023.

Swansea Channel is a popular area of Lake Macquarie and can become very congested during busy periods, especially during the summer months. With the current depth restriction in the channel vessels are required to transition in a zig zag pattern which, coupled with congestion of vessels, can make navigation challenging.

The channel conditions are monitored by Maritime Boating Safety Officers and navigation markers are regularly moved to reflect current conditions.

The navigation channel may not be passable by all vessels at all times. The channel entrance into Lake Macquarie is highly dynamic and it is incumbent upon vessel masters to assess the conditions for their vessel before undertaking passage through Swansea Channel.

Safe navigation through any channel is ultimately the responsibility of the vessel’s master, taking account of a range of factors including the size of their vessel, weather, tides, water depths and the speed at which they travel.

As part of ongoing monitoring of the channel, we have identified that the “Airforce Channel” which runs east-west between Naru Point and the lake, has been naturally deepening and now provides an alternative navigational route into Lake Macquarie.
 
We will be marking the “Airforce Channel” with navigation markers in December to indicate the temporary additional navigational access into Lake Macquarie.

The “Airforce Channel” has now been marked with appropriate Aids to Navigation and is now operational and will provide temporary additional navigational access to and from Lake Macquarie.

Marine Rescue will broadcast this change via a Securite message on frequency 27MHZ and VHF16. The Australian Hydrographic Office and TfNSW Boating Maps will be updated.

Conditions and depths can change regularly so caution should be used when navigating either channel. Skippers of deep-drafted vessels of more than one metre are advised to carefully plan any trips through this channel, navigate with caution and, if in doubt, avoid the trip entirely. We would also like to remind skippers of their responsibility to assess conditions before negotiating any marine channel.

Conditions and depths in Swansea Channel change regularly. Deep drafted vessels of more than one metre are advised to carefully plan any trips through Swansea Channel, navigate with caution and if in doubt, avoid the trip entirely.